graze

¹ American  

[greyz] / greɪz /

verb (used without object)

grazed, grazing

1. to feed on growing grass and pasturage, as do cattle, sheep, etc.

2. Informal. to eat small portions of food, as appetizers or the like, in place of a full-sized meal or to snack during the course of the day in place of regular meals.

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verb (used with object)

grazed, grazing

1. to feed on (growing grass).

2. to put cattle, sheep, etc., to feed on (grass, pastureland, etc.).

3. to tend (cattle, sheep, etc.) while they are at pasture.

graze ² American  

[greyz] / greɪz /

verb (used with object)

grazed, grazing

1. to touch or rub lightly in passing.

2. to scrape the skin from; abrade.

   The bullet just grazed his shoulder.

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verb (used without object)

grazed, grazing

1. to touch or rub something lightly, or so as to produce slight abrasion, in passing.

   to graze against a rough wall.

noun

• grazes
  plural

1. a touching or rubbing lightly in passing.

2. a slight scratch, scrape, or wound made in passing; abrasion.

graze ¹ British  

/ ɡreɪz /

verb

1. to allow (animals) to consume the vegetation on (an area of land), or (of animals, esp cows and sheep) to feed thus

2. (tr) to tend (livestock) while at pasture

3. informal to eat snacks throughout the day rather than formal meals

4. informal to eat

5. informal (intr) to switch between television channels while viewing without watching any channel for long

6. to pilfer and eat sweets, vegetables, etc, from supermarket shelves while shopping

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noun

1. informal a snack; something to eat

graze ² British  

/ ɡreɪz /

verb

1. to brush or scrape (against) gently, esp in passing

2. (tr) to break the skin of (a part of the body) by scraping

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noun

1. the act of grazing

2. a scrape or abrasion made by grazing

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• grazer
  noun
• grazeable
  adjective
• grazingly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• grazes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of graze¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English grasen, Old English grasian, derivative of græs grass

Origin of graze²

First recorded in 1350–1400; perhaps special use of graze ¹

Explanation

Cows graze on grass, and people graze on snacks and finger foods. Graze can also mean to scrape, like when you graze your elbow after falling off your bike. Graze means "to feed on grass" as sheep, horses, cows, do in a meadow — they eat a little at a time, but constantly. People sometimes graze too, munching on small snacks all day long instead of having a real meal. It also means “to touch lightly,” like when I pitch a baseball to you — and I accidentally hit your arm. With luck, the ball only grazed you, meaning you aren't hurt at all.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

graze grazes grazed grazing

And in its forests and on its grasslands, tule elk and mule deer graze, while bobcats and coyotes hunt for rabbits and mountain beavers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026

"Because it's a place for people, for picnics, for livestock to graze," he told AFP, giving only his first name for security reasons.

From Barron's ● Aug. 9, 2026

And now, the volunteers have enlisted the help of a far more common animal, by allowing cows to graze on the site.

From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026

Over-population of deer means they graze on young plants and tree saplings before they ever have a chance to reach maturity.

From BBC ● May 21, 2026

Here we heard detail of our Commission: The Parliamentary Army, it was known, graze a great Bustle of Livestock on the Grasses of Hog & Noddle’s Islands.

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson

Fresh from his latest victory, Nolan reaches for the stars and grazes the Gods.

From Salon ● Jul. 18, 2026

"We've had complaints about it in the past and people obviously raising concerns about cuts and grazes, so it is something we have to factor in," she says.

From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2024

“Everyone else died or moved away,” said Mr. Puhalo, gesturing to empty homes scattered across the rocky hills around the family land where he grazes his sheep.

From New York Times ● Feb. 28, 2024

Following a decade living in Portland, Ore., “I just want it to feel like Southern California,” he says as he grazes a palm over a salvia plant, releasing its aroma.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 27, 2024

My hand grazes a dress—intricately beaded bodice, voluminous taffeta skirt.

From "Leah on the Offbeat" by Becky Albertalli

DHS said a bystander was grazed, and a security officer who tackled and detained Arrabaca sustained minor injuries.

From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026

But he was run out in an unlucky manner when a shot from Rana grazed Henry's hand and deflected onto the stumps at the non-striker's end.

From Barron's ● Jan. 28, 2026

“I was unbelievably lucky. My board took all the impact, and the teeth just grazed me,” Civik said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 14, 2026

In large part that came from the city’s decadeslong failure to grow, which meant that undeveloped land—miles and miles of it, grazed by cattle—lay within a few minutes’ drive of downtown KCMO.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 28, 2025

E.J. was okay, barely grazed on his arm.

From "Piecing Me Together" by Renée Watson

With fewer grazing animals and less vegetation lost to natural wildfires, biomass accumulated.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026

Thanks to their grazing, he believed his farm was still standing, even if he knew "the surrounding plots were reduced to ash".

From Barron's ● Jul. 25, 2026

Even more sobering for me was the sight of another Bentley grazing the hay bales.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026

Changes in feeding, movement, and fear can spread through ecosystems, affecting grazing patterns, predator-prey relationships, and broader ecological stability.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 15, 2026

He saw himself standing in the bukshah fields, with Star's warm muzzle bent to his hand and the other beasts grazing around him, huge, calm, and trusting.

From "Rowan of Rin" by Emily Rodda

Related Words

• ricochet
• rub
• scrape
• scratch
• skim
• skip